INEC Announces Mock Accreditation Exercise for Edo Governorship Election

'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja 

DAILY COURIER — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will conduct a mock accreditation exercise in preparation for the upcoming Edo State Governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024. The exercise is designed to test the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result upload process to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal using live voters.

In a press release issued today by the commission's spokesperson, Sam Olumekun, INEC revealed that the mock accreditation will take place on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, across 12 designated polling units in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) within the state. The exercise is intended to ensure the smooth operation of the BVAS and IReV systems ahead of the main election day.

The selected polling units which span the three Senatorial Districts of Edo State include:

In Edo Central, the exercise will be held at Eguare Primary School, Eguare 1, and Uwenujie Primary School, Uwenujie, in Esan Central LGA, as well as Eguare Primary School 1, Ewohimi, and Eguare Okhuesan (Former L. A. School 1), Emu, in Esan South East LGA.

Edo North will hold in, Usokwi Iyogbe Azama Primary School, Yeluwa, and the polling unit at Institute of Continuing Education Road, Auchi, in Etsako West LGA have been selected, along with Uhonmwora Owere Primary School, Uhonmwora-Ora, and Holy Trinity Grammar School, Sabongidda-Ora, in Owan West LGA.

While in Edo South, the designated centres include Western Boys’ High School 1 and Ologbosere Primary School 1 in Ikpoba Okha LGA, as well as Idia College I and Payne Primary School 1 in Oredo LGA.

The mock accreditation exercise will take place from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM on the scheduled day. INEC has appealed to registered voters in the designated polling units to participate by coming out with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The commission emphasized that only registered voters from these specific polling units will be accredited, and no voter from another unit will be allowed to participate in the mock exercise.

A graphic containing the details of the designated polling units has been made available on INEC’s website and social media platforms for public reference.

This exercise is part of INEC’s efforts to ensure a credible and transparent electoral process in Edo State, reinforcing the commission’s commitment to a free, fair, and well-organized governorship election.